Sunlight & School
by sincerely- scripted
Summary: ""Kate," he said slowly, she turned her glance away from the window to look at her husband, "He's going to be fine."" - In the future. Travis and Katie's son Henry is getting ready for his first day of school. But he seems to be more prepared than his parents.


Chocolate chip pancakes. The smell of a good morning in the Stoll household.

Travis opened his eyes to the brightness of the light shining in through the bedroom window. His usual morning would consist of him in this same position, belly down on the mattress. The next move was to turn and face his wife on the other side of the bed. Today, however that was not happening. He already knew she was not there.

How?

He smelt chocolate chop pancakes.

Travis rolled out of bed. The blue sheets and duvet tangled up in his long legs and plaid pajama pants. He reached in the side drawer of his night stand through the grogginess and pulled out a tee-shirt. Pulling it over his bare chest, he walked out of the room and into the rest of the house.

Yawning, he reached the kitchen. The source of the smell.

Katie stood in front of the sink staring out the window into the backyard. Her back, covered with her veil of dark, wavy, brown hair, was to Travis. The man snuck up behind heron his tiptoes, half to reduce noise and scare her, half because the tile floor was cold on his bare feet and he wanted to reduce contact.

He reached out as he got close and wrapped his arms around her waist. She let out a short gasp.

"Good morning," he whispered in to her ear. Travis kissed her cheek, a lingering kiss that resolved into a smile as she leaned her head to the side.

"Mm-hmm."

Travis unwound himself from her; he turned to the pancakes baking on the stove griddle top. "That doesn't sound very good." He looked to the side curiously. "I thought moms are supposed to be happy on the first day of school?" he dipped his finger in some of the leftover batter lining the bowl, and then moved it to his lips.

"That's a myth," she told him.

"Kate," he said slowly, she turned her glance away from the window to look at her husband, "He's going to be fine." She nodded but he knew she wasn't exactly hearing him. "You wanna know how I know that?"

"Because you know everything?" she replied sarcastically.

"Oh, definitely. And knowing everything means I know that he is our son."

"Don't be so sure?" Katie joked. He was happy to see a smile on her face.

"He is our son, and he will be fine."

Katie nodded, "You're right. I'm overreacting." She took the pancake off the top with a spatula and placed them on a small yellow plate ringed with flowers.

"Don't worry; you're the mother, its part of the job." Katie saw his finger go back into the bowl, immediately she reached over and smacked his wrist. "Ow!"

"It's not for you." She harangued, at the same time she heard a small yell down the hall. "Mama!"

Katie rushed down the hall, leaving Travis in his arouse. When he thought she was gone, his index finger went back in for the batter.

"Travis." He heard her voice from around the corner.

"Alright, alright," he muttered to himself and left down the hall to the other bedroom. He walked past the first, his and Katie's, and the second, where he already heard his wife slowly waking up their smallest boy. Finally he reached the last room on the right and entered.

The room with blue walls was dark the only light came in from behind the red window curtain and the glow-in-the-dark sticky stars his son relieved for Christmas from his uncle. Travis side-stepped over the carefully arranged action figures that were strewn across the floor. Finally, he reached the small, twin size bed that was pressed up to the wall and held a figure wrapped up in a pile of blankets. Travis lightly shook the shoulder hidden under the comforter. Two small hands shot up from the top of the bed, under the blanket. Arms arched up and down in one quick motion, the torso below sitting up, "Boo!"

Travis feigned freight, jumping off the bed, hid body rigid.

"Ho!" his face slacked. "Don't scare me like that Hen!" Travis joked tickling his son. "I thought I was supposed to be the jokester? Huh?"

The little boy laughed. His dark brown, curly locks sprawled across the pillow. Tossing and turning, Henry laughed. "Da-addy!"

"C'mon buddy, time to get up. It's the first day of kindergarten!" Travis lifted the blankets off the boy and then hoisted him into the air and over his shoulder. Laughing the two bounced down the hall, into the kitchen.

Katie had beaten him there. Already cutting up two colorful plates of pancakes, she twisted to scrutinize.

"Boys!" she yelled, her heart was not in it though. A smile cracked her face. "It's breakfast. C'mon," the plates, ready to go, one in each of her hands were brought down on the table. One set in front of an open spot and another in front of the other son. "Time to eat."

The four-year old mashed his hands into the stacks without a thought. Travis took a seat next to him at the wooden round table.

"Slow down there Ryan," Travis chided with humor. The smaller of the brown-haired Stoll children showed no signs of slowing.

The family breakfast was a syrupy mess to say the least. As the crew finished eating they headed straight to the bathroom to wash up and then get dressed for the day. Henry bounded to his room to put on the outfit he had picked up the previous night. Running out with his new school clothes on, he slipped on his new Tennis shoes on his feet and his backpack on his back.

Travis and Katie watched from the hall. Their little boy getting ready for his first day of school was a day they wanted to remember.

Katie crossed her arms over her deep blue lace blouse, leaning against the wall; she couldn't imagine just staying home with one of her boys now. The days were going to be vastly different from the past four years.

"You know how you said he was going to be fine because he was just like us?" she asked her husband.

Travis smiled, he leaned one hand on the wall just behind Katie's head. He tilted his head down and kissed her cheek, "yeah?"

"I really hope he doesn't have your uncanny ability for trouble-making."

"Oh, Katie," he sighed. "Of course he inherited the skills."

They laughed together.

"Waz szo funny?" a little voice questioned, pushing through the couples legs. They looked down at the small boy.

Travis bent down on his knee, fixing his sons shirt, "Nothing, Ryan. Your mother was just being silly."

"Why?"

"Because that's what she does." He put his hands in his lap. Dressed in his uniform he was ready for work but not ready to leave. "Should we go get your brother on the school bus?"

"Yeah! An nex year I will go on da bus too, right?!"

Travis had felt Katie leave his side just a moment ago. "But you are going to spend time with Mama, right? Just you and her. You're going to go on adventures and have lots and lots of fun, while your brothers at school."

"Yup!"

The man smiled at his boy. "'Kay, let's get Henry to school!"

Kate sat on the front stoop of their home with Ryan next to her. They watched Travis and Henry walk the 30 feet stroll down the driveway to the corner bus stop. She put her hands in her lap. It was a bittersweet moment but she knew sooner or later it would be happening.

Her husband walked behind their eldest son, down the sidewalk, one hand on the boys back.

"You ready, bud?" Henry nodded shyly. "Remember where your room is? We toured it last week. And your teacher, we met her. She was very nice. "

Travis looked down at the boy. They had reached the corner. "You're going to have so much fun," he smiled, "and make lots of new friends."

The boy looked up, "Why can't Ry' come wif me?"

"Ryan's not old enough yet," Travis kneeled down. " So he is going to stay home with mom." He turned back to where his other son and wife were sitting watching them. "They will be waiting right there when you come home. I promise."

When they turned back to each other, Travis saw the big, yellow and black school bus coming from down the street.

"Here it comes. Now, remember not to cause too much trouble."

Travis enveloped his son in a giant hug. He kissed t side of his head and messed up his hair. the bus came to a halt a few feet away from them. "See you later, buddy." And he patted him on his way.

Before entering the vehicle, Henry turned to wave bye to his mom and brother. Katie blew a kiss back to him.

The boy was growing up.


End file.
